State Duma Ratifies Russia's WTO Accession

In a plenary session, the State Duma adopted a resolution ratifying Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization. Only United Russia deputies supported the ratification during the individual voting. Representatives of all of the opposition factions objected. The protocol stipulates that Russia, as a WTO member state, undertakes all of the obligations under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO. The transitional period for liberalizing market access is 2-3 years and 5-7 years for sensitive goods. The Duma's decision provoked a host of disputes in the business community and in parliament. An appeal was filed with the Constitutional Court, but the Court found no violation of the Constitution.

http://www.rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20120710/263751540.html

Gazprom Tops List of World's Most Profitable Companies

According to the annual Global 500 list of corporate heavy hitters ranked by Fortune magazine, Russian energy company Gazprom is the most profitable company in the world, taking in $44.4 billion in profits in 2011. Seven Russian companies are on the list, of which six are in the oil and gas business.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/09/gazprom-global-500-most-profitable_n_1659608.html
http://www.gazeta.ru/business/2012/07/10/4675873.shtml

Russian Wikipedia Goes on Strike Over Censorship Plans

The Russian-language segment of Wikipedia, the world’s largest free on-line encyclopedia, suspended operation for 24 hours in protest against a bill proposing a unified digital blacklist of all websites containing banned content. The draft legislation, supported by all four party factions in the State Duma, has been widely criticized by civil rights activists and internet providers as an attempt to introduce censorship of the Russian segment of the internet (RuNet). “The Wikipedia community protests against censorship, which threatens open, free knowledge for mankind,” Wikipedia says in a statement on its Russian-language website.

http://en.rian.ru/society/20120710/174509543.html

Russian Constitutional Court Backs WTO Membership

Russia's Constitutional Court cleared the path for lawmakers to approve membership of the WTO by ruling that joining the world free trade club was legal and in line with the country's basic law. "The protocol was signed and approved in accordance with a procedure that does not contradict the state's constitutional order," Interfax quoted the Constitutional Court judgement as saying. The ruling on a Communist Party bid to block World Trade Organisation membership enables the State Duma (lower house of parliament) to proceed with the legislation after 18 years of tense negotiations between Russia and the WTO. Russia became the world's largest economy outside the trade group upon China's accession in 2001.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120709-russias-top-court-backs-wto-membership
http://www.lenta.ru/news/2012/07/09/wto/

Another Russian Tycoons' Legal Battle Starts in London

Today the High Court in London will begin hearing the lawyers' opening speeches in the high-profile litigation launched by Israeli resident Mikhail Cherney against Oleg Deripaska, owner of the Russian aluminum giant, RUSAL. Cherney is claiming 20 percent of RUSAL, alleging that he signed an agreement in 2001 on the transfer into a trust management of a block of company shares, the value of which Deripaska was to repay within three to five years. Deripaska denies having any business relations with Cherney, although he admits that Cherney provided him "krysha" ("protection") in the early 1990's, which was indispensible for doing business in Russia at the time. The concept of "krysha" has become a household term for UK lawyers and journalists after the recent trial between Berezovsky and Abramovich. Both trials stem from supposed agreements on business cooperation. Neither Abramovich nor Deripaska admit they had any partnership agreements. While Abramovich said Berezovsky provided him with political protection, Deripaska has acknowledged Cherney's criminal protection for his aluminum business in the 1990's. The two cases are closely interlinked, which explains in part why the trial between Cherney and Deripaska has been delayed. The Berezovsky-Abramovich trial finished several months ago and the court is due to deliver its verdict shortly.

http://www.rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20120709/263729297.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financial-crime/9383732/London-set-for-new-battle-of-oligarchs.html
http://www.gazeta.ru/business/2012/07/09/4674365.shtml

Bout's Wife Submits Extradition Documents

Convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout's wife Alla has submitted to the Justice Ministry the documents required for filing an application for her husband's extradition. Bout may be extradited under the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. Russia must send an inquiry to the U.S. Justice Ministry. The Justice Ministry said the trilateral consent of all parties is needed to transfer Bout, particularly the transferring party, the receiving party and the individual serving the sentence. Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a federal court in New York for planning to sell arms to the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces. He has denied the charges.

http://www.rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20120706/263709206.html

Deadly Floods Hit Southern Russia

Russia’s worst floods in decades, triggered by heavy rainfalls, ravaged several cities and residential areas in the southern Krasnodar Region on Friday night, killing at least 170 people, mostly in the town of Krymsk. Over 5,000 homes were flooded in the region as a result of the disaster. Local residents are inclined to blame the authorities, especially after regional governor Alexander Tkachev admitted that the authorities were warned at least three hours before the flood but failed to properly warn residents. Tkachev said during the meeting with Krymsk residents that the first warnings of possible flooding came at 10 p.m. Friday, while the heaviest flood was from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday. "Do you think my dears ... that we could have warned each of you? With what forces? That's one. And two, would you have gotten up and left your homes?" Tkachev asked rhetorically. President Vladimir Putin declared a day of mourning and ordered a probe into flood deaths.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120708/174466917.html
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/death-toll-hits-150-floods-southern-russia-16734467
http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1976868
http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1976868 (video; quotation at 2:25)

Medvedev: I Do Not Care about Japan's Reaction to Kurils Visit

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he is indifferent to Japan’s reaction over his trip to one of the Kuril Islands. On Tuesday, Medvedev arrived in Kunashir, just north of Japan's Hokkaido island, for his second trip to the disputed Kuril Islands, which the Soviet Union annexed after World War II. Japan claims Kunashir, Shikotan, the Habomai Islets and Iturup as its territory. Japan’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador in Tokyo and filed a protest over Medvedev’s trip to one of the disputed islands. "(This) is a territory inherent to Japan, therefore the visit of this kind is unacceptable for Japan and deeply regrettable," Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Kenichiro Sasae told Russian Ambassador Yevgenny Afanasiyev. Medvedev told journalists: “As for the reaction of our Japanese partners, I do not care about it. I do not care about it so much that I will not be wasting my time answering this question.” “What do we have to discuss with them? The issue of the Russian prime minister’s presence on the Russian territory? This all could go too far,” he added.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20120705/174409452.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/03/us-russia-japan-islands-idUSBRE8620AV20120703

Ukraine Police Tackle Protests Over Russian Language Law

The Ukrainian parliament backed a controversial law giving higher status to the Russian language – a move that prompted fights inside the chamber and protests on the streets of the former Soviet republic. One MP suffered a broken rib from the mêlée in which police used tear gas against people demonstrating in the capital, Kiev. The law proposed by President Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions now just needs his signature to come into force.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-police-tackle-protests-over-russian-language-law-7912700.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18702759